The first wave toward convergence-VoIP is becoming a necessary bargain in the
process of cutting down traditional telephone costs. More companies–in fact
far more companies than a year ago–are seeing the import of transporting voice
over IP networks to reduce phone costs, even as the adoption rate for the
technology in India remains low.
Voice over IP is enabling enterprises that have long and frequent
intra-branch calls, both within India and overseas, to bring down their call
costs to zero–by utilizing the unused data network capacity to transport voice
over it.
Most often, VoIP is confused with IP telephony. IP telephony is a generic
name used to imply transmission of voice and fax over packet-switched IP-based
networks. VoIP and Internet telephony are both sub-sets of IP technology,
wherein voice is transported over a managed network–dedicated lines–while
the latter is over a public network using regular Internet connections.
Let’s talk legality
Most corporates are unclear about the legal issues related to VoIP. Before
deregulation, voice over IP in a closed user group was always legal. Even after
deregulation, calls from a PC (using a soft phone) or IP-based phones still
could terminate on a PSTN anywhere in India, though calls from an IP telephone
or PC from India can terminate onto a PSTN abroad. However, calls from a PC or
IP-based phones still haven’t terminated on another PC or IP phone within
India, except in a CUG or over a dedicated link.
Quality of voice equivalent to that of PSTN is achievable even in the case of
running voice over a data network. "There are people who think that voice
quality over an IP is poor–given good line conditions, most solutions can give
voice quality better than a PSTN," said HS Mony, national manager (sales
and marketing), Multitech.
Requirements
Because there are typical requirements or demands from the data network over
which voice is to be transported, it is necessary that certain aspects be kept
in mind before a VoIP deployment.
Sound quality: If you get it right, you get the regular toll quality using
VoIP, between 16-18 kbps. But in such cases, voice delays should not typically
exceed 150 minutes. Sound quality depends on the bandwidth available and the
configurations made with the codec. MoS (mean opinion score) is a subjective
method used for measuring voice quality. Its value ranges between 1 and 5. A
quality rating of 3 to 5 is fair to excellent, while ratings between 1 to 2 are
considered poor.
Network performance: Sometimes, a network performing well might fail to
deliver when voice is added to it. There are several methods of calculating
voice quality over a data link, but three key measurements of a data network for
sound quality are delay, jitter and packet losses.
The guide
There are two existing scenarios for implementing VoIP:
n The first is a
parallel set-up, which is implementing for a set-up without interfacing with the
PBXs. In this case, voice would be run over the data network and would involve
installing VoIP gatekeepers and gateways and IP phones. However, one is not
allowed to interface an IP-PBX with a PBX that terminates on a PSTN. The costs
of gateways range between Rs 15,000 to 1.25 lakh; and
n This involves
interfacing IP-enabling boxes with the PBX, while voice is routed over the data
network. These kind of boxes IP-enables the PBXs. The chances are good for those
who have bought routers lately, for they come with voice-enabling capabilities.
This feature helps to recognize and prioritize voice packets that run on data
links. IP-phones costs between Rs 8, 000 and Rs 45,000.
Case Study: Net4India |
RoI in Under Two Months Existing connection: Net4India installed VoIP |
Step1: Planning and evaluating for VoIP
Like every major IT project, planning and evaluation become crucial phases in a
voice over IP implementation–and can extend to anywhere between four and eight
months. Evaluation will need an assessment of reliability, bandwidth and quality
of voice of the existing data network. One would also need to access the volume
and duration of calls from traditional phone lines, and those calls from among
them that would be diverted onto a data network. One would also need to assess
bandwidth usage by data over the network and the amount that would be needed by
voice. After this, one can determine the extent of deployment, tentative costs
that will be involved, and the components that will be required in the
implementation. Analyzing return on investment from your VoIP implementation is
also recommended at this stage.
Step2: Upgrading
After planning and evaluation, the next step would be to upgrade the existing
network and switches as per the requirements of the sound quality over the data
network. This is essential because most often, many applications run on a
typical enterprise network and, therefore, the data network is not ready to
transport voice and deliver the necessary toll sound quality. Changes using QoS
techniques are used so that voice over IP is given priority over file-transfer
traffic. The underlying network must support IP and be capable of handling
real-time telephone and facsimile.
Step3: Laying out the topology
Having gone through the first two steps, one can move into the stage of laying
out the topology of the network according to one’s requirements and existing
infrastructure. This would involve determining and charting out the exact
location of various VoIP devices on the network, as well as a graphical
representation of layout.
Step4: Running a pilot
Before buying the necessary VoIP components, one must ensure that the chosen
vendor runs pilot tests for them. At this stage, one can actually access what
one needs to buy and the kind of configurations at this stage needed. This, in
fact, would help determine the VoIP components that would be needed.
Step5: Buying the right equipment
After a pilot run, you can safely determine the kind of equipment or components
that you will need thereafter. And based on the configurations of the equipment
and functionality, you can estimate the exact costs and requirements of the
implementation.
Step6: Running the actual implementation
Having given due consideration and re-checking the problems during the pilot
run, you can then move ahead with the actual implementation. The final stage
will also involve training at least one of your tream members in understanding
the layout and technology.
Justifying RoI
The incremental investment on an IP PBX is linear, whereas in a normal PBX,
it is exponential. And one can justify the return on investment on an IP PBX by
estimating calling costs made by using traditional phones, and as exemplified in
the two case studies presented with this report– Net4India and Industrial
Finance Corporation of India. RoI is easily justified as there are zero
recurring monthly costs of the new technology and returns, therefore, come in
quickly, depending on the extent of the deployment.
"The cost of implementation varies, depending on configuration–whether
a two-four-eight port VoIP box is used and on hardware requirements like
routers, IP phones, wherever required. What also matters is whether Internet
bandwidth is taken on a leased line, ISDN, plus the bandwidth of the VPN port,
integration and configuration of systems and the number of locations," says
Vijay Gogoi, product manager at iServe.
Why VoIP?
n Because it
doesn’t make sense to run dual networks, and using a single network will drive
costs down;
n PSTN-based
technologies will limit future use. Protecting existing investments on PBX
migrations, therefore, can be done over a period of time, easily;
n There is
efficient bandwidth management–on an average, 30% of any data network is
under-utilized; and
n Shorter RoI,
zero running costs and negligible scaling costs
Case Study: Industrial Finance Corporation of India |
Once Smitten, Twice Try Existing connection: Leased IFCI installed D-Link |
Vendors march
The race is on among vendors to provide and manufacture VoIP solutions for
new opportunities–globally and locally. Even network manufacturing vendors
like Cisco and D-Link are competing to provide VoIP solutions. Global companies
like Cisco, D-Link, Avaya and VocalTec have mostly been seen carrying out
largescale deployments, mainly for government networks and public voice
carriers. VocalTec just entered the Indian market, offering packet voice
solutions for carriers.
D-Link is already manufacturing VoIP products in India.
Local players trying to get a hold on the domestic market are ISPs like
Satyam, iServe and Net4India. They are now delving into not only carrying voice
over their managed networks, but are offering VoIP equipment and solutions. VoIP
is also helping ISPs improve their usage-based pricing and volumes are rising.
Fence-sitters
The underlying characteristics of the Indian corporates that have already
deployed VoIP (around 10%)–multi-locational offices both in India and
overseas, frequent calls, and the need for a low-cost alternative. Segment-wise,
the highest adoption has been seen among IT, ITeS and telecom companies,
segments where there’s a high level of awareness about the technology and its
spinoff benefits. India is seeing slow adoption of the technology, leaving the
technology at an early adopter’s stage.
Future
At present, investments in VoIP are targeted at setting the stage for
advanced multimedia applications. "Although services stemming from the
technology are basic telephony and facsimile, the applications of the future are
unified messaging and follow-me call support, 2x4 conferencing and future
services that will extend to multimedia and multi-service applications,"
says D-Link’s director (VoIP) Gunneswara Rao.
A study estimates that almost 70% of messages that are sent from corporate
Asia to overseas are faxes–because of high telephone costs. This can be
readily substituted by voice–once VoIP is implemented in a wider manner over
corporate networks.
Because the PSTN cannot be replaced or changed in the near future, solution
providers must look into providing their VoIP offerings at lower than existing
costs. And with myths that have surrounded the technology ever since it came to
common light being laid bare now, adoption of VoIP–both for shorter RoI
achievables and long-term benefits–should see healthy growth in coming times.
Radhika Bhuyan In New Delhi